Door-control means



Patented Aug. 23, 1927.

UNITED STATES 1,639,747 PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR A. NELSON, OF BURLINGTON, IOWA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-FOURTH '10 LUKE PALMER, 0F BURLINGTON, IOWA.

noon-conrnor. MEANS.

Application fljed October 8, 1924. Serial No. 742,493.

This invention is a mechanism for effectually holding the door of an a utomoblle closed thereby avoiding the habillty of the door to be torn ofi by contact with some object while the car is in motion. The lnvention prevents the door being blown off by the wind resistance, resulting in torn leather door straps, damaged body panels, bent fenders, and marred finish, and the inventlon also provides very simple means whereby the door will be positively closed without slamming the pulling force being increased at the finish of the stroke to insure complete closing. The invention isillustrated in the accompanying drawing and will be herelnafter fully set forth and defined. o

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a view in elevation of the invention applied to an automobile;

Figure 2 is a View, partly in plan and partly in horizontal section, showing a part of a door and the position of the elements acting directly thereon when the door is open;

Figure 3 is a detail plan view of the connection with the motor; a

Figure 4 is an enlarged detail section of one end of the suction cylinder.

The automobile body 1 may be of any desired type and the door 2 is supported by hinges 3 in the usual manner. In carrying out my present invention, I secure in one end of the intake manifold 4: of the engine, a small tube 5 which leads to and is coupled with a pipe 6 mounted in any convenient manner upon the dash 7 of the vehicle. Near each door, at the hinged side thereof, a cylinder 8 is provided on the body 1 and a branch of the pipe 6 leads to and into each cylinder. The pipe or tube 5 is provided with a cut-off valve 9 so that the tube may be closed to the engine when and if desired, and the tube is preferably coiled, as at 10, to eliminate breakage from vibration.

In each cylinder 8 is fitted a piston 11 of the leather washer type and an oil cup 12 is provided upon the cylinder to facilitate lubrication of the leathers when they are dry. The piston rod 13 extends through that end of the cylinder which is presented to the door and a cable 14 is secured to the end of the piston rod and extends therefrom over a guide roller 15 in the door frame to be secured in the hinged end of the door in any practical manner. The pipe 6 does not lead directly into the cylinder but communicates therewith through an elongated metering tube or thimble 16 which extends centrally from the head or end of the cylinder and is alined axially therewith. the tube 6 being engaged with a nipple 17 on the side of the thimble immediately adjacent the cylinder. A metering pin 18 extends from the piston 11 and fits slidably in the thimble 16, and around the junction of the pin and the piston a. leather or fibre boss or packing 19 is formed to engage a seat 20 when the door is closed .and seal the airline against leaks.

A bracket 21 is secured upon the automobile body below the cylinder 8 and a lever 22 is fulcrumed upon this bracket, rising therefrom to be engaged between collars or other abutments 23 on the piston rod. A contractile spring 24 is secured to the lever and to the bracket, as shown in Fig. 1 to keep the cable taut when the engine is not running. When the engine is running, the spring supplements the suction so that the door tends to close even if there be a failure or a momentary reduction in the vacuum.

Assuming the door to be open, if the motor be started a suction will be created through the several pipes and the tube 5 into the manifold and a partial vacuum will be created in the cylinder, the result being that the piston will move inwardly and pull the door to closed position. The movement will I be rapid at first, but as the metering pin enters and moves forward in the metering thimble it will be checked so that slamming of the door will be avoided. When the door is fully open, the pin 18 will be within the cylinder and out of the thimble, but, when the door is closing, the pin enters the thimble and partly compresses the air therein so that the movement is checked sufiicient- 1y to prevent slamming. The pin does not fit in the thimble so snugly as to prevent escape of the air but does pass across the end of the nipple 17 to restrict the escape and effects suificient compression to check the movement after the pin has entered the thimble about half way. The movement then proceeds slowly. However, near the close of the stroke, a recess 25 in the side of the metering pin will register with the nipple 17, as shown in Fig. 4, whereupon the full suction force will act upon the piston and the pull upon the door increased suificiently to overcome any resistance offered by the latch. It will thus be seen that whenever the motor is running, the door will be closed by the suction of the motor and cannot be opened until the motor is stopped or at least slowed down to such an extent that manual force may open the door.

The apparatus of my invention is very simple, compact and eflicient, and may be readily applied to any motor vehicle.

Having fully described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters-Patent, is

1. A mechanism for the purpose set forth comprising a cylinder, a piston therein, means for connecting one side of the piston with a part to be moved, means for creating suction in the cylinder upon the opposite side of the piston, means for checking the movement of the piston under suction, and means for accelerating the movement of the piston near the close of its stroke.

2. A mechanism for the purpose set forth comprising a cylinder, a piston therein, a thimble extending from one end of the cylinder in axial alinement with the piston, a metering pin extending from one side of the piston to enter the thimble, means for connecting the opposite side of the piston with a part to be moved, and suction-creating means communicating with the thimble ad jacent the end of the cylinder to draw the piston toward the thimble..

eeann? '3. A mechanism for the purpose set forth comprising a cylinder, a piston therein, a thimble extending from one end of the cylinder in axial alinement with the piston, a metering pin extending from one side of the piston to enter the thimble, means for connecting the opposite side of the piston with a part to be moved, suction-creating means communicating with the thimble to draw the piston toward the same, and a sealing element carried at thebase of the metering pin to seat in the end of: the thimble at the end of the cylinder.

4. A mechanism for the purpose set'forth comprising a cylinder, a piston therein, a thimble extendin from one end of the cylinder in axial allnement with the piston, a metering pin extending from one side of the piston to enter the thimhle and having a recess in its side near the piston, means for connecting the opposite side of the piston with a part to be moved, and a suction pipe communicating with the thimble throu h the side of the same near the cylinder, t e

recess in the side of the metering pin registering at times with the end of the suction pipe.

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification. v

ARTHUR A. NELSON. 

